Viasna targeted in fake email attack

Last Friday, February 19, eighty-five electronic mailboxes belonging to EU MPs and ambassadors to Belarus received a letter allegedly authored by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

The phony message read that Viasna was “seriously concerned about the unprecedented increase in violations of citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in a number of European countries” and called for an investigation into such violations in Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The email had an attachment with 28 photos, apparently downloaded from open sources on the Internet.

The letter was sent from viasna.spring97@gmail.com, a mailbox never owned by and having nothing to do with Viasna.

“We officially declare that we did not send any letters from the specified box. Nor did we disseminate any appeals to European countries. We consider such a letter on behalf of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" as sordid provocation by the Belarusian security forces,” Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski commented on the situation.

Viasna’s current contact information can be found on our website.